Wedding Wrap Up - Repost

Originally posted on MySpace November 11, 2008


WOW!!! There isnt much else I can say but WOW. It was an amazing week in Nebraska for us. Not only the wedding, which obviously was going to be amazing but having our friends and family from Michigan, North Carolina and Colorado out there was great. I have not heard from one person who didnt have a great time (not that I would) and I keep hearing over and over again what an awesome party!! That means alot because Arthur knows how to party, so if "the colony" had fun, then that means it was a good party :-)
The road trip out was rough but do-able. We all got a little cranky, but that was to be expected. The trip back was fine...we did it in 2 days instead of 1 which was a huge difference.
Here is a day by day recap. If anyone remembers anything I forgot...please let me know:
Day 1: Road trip from hell. Topped off with Huskers game at Heather's house which was the perfect ending to the day for us. We needed to get to our friends and be in seperate rooms from each other, lol. Huskers lost but Shawn was so tired, he really didnt care much. If he did...he didnt act it, lol.
Day 2: Relaxed most of the day. Spent alot of time at Karen and Buds. Piper rode the kids new horse Bugs and had a great time. We brough Junior home and he stayed with us that night. Between the time change for us and day light savings time...we were 3 hours off, so we went to be early. Heather had Bryce's birthday party that day, so Piper played with the kids at his house that afternoon. She loves spending time with Payton so she was a happy girl.
Day 3: Piper went on her first cattle drive. She rode Bugs, who stayed behind me while I rode Buck. She did great for the first group, but the second was another story. I should have known because you can expect any horse to WANT to leave the barn after going back to it, but in this case, Piper wasnt experienced enough or strong enough to fight with him so I ended up ponying him behind me and she ended up in the truck. Rough day, good plan and in the end, we got it done. 380 head gathered up for preg check the following day.
Day 4: Preg check on the cows. I worked the chutes, Shawn and Bud worked with the vet and did the vaccinations on the pregnant ones. Cory and 2 guys on horse back helped sort them off into groups so that I could push them through the chutes. I have never been to preg check before, so I will spare the details. This is what I learned:
1) A cow does think it is smarter then a human.
2) You can fit 3 cows on top of each other in one shoot and still do the preg check.
3) Apparently the 2005 crop of cows isnt very fertile.
My legs are beat to tar...I have bruises all over from banging into the metal gates and stuff, but it was fun. Piper stayed inside for that adventure, which was fine. She wouldnt have liked it anyway.
Day 5: Had to gather calves in the morning, and the weather was CRAP!! Cold, windy, rain/snow/sleet but they had gotten out so we had to do it. In the process of getting them home, a few wandered into some woodys area where Buck and I got wrapped up in some downed wire. She is ok, cut of the back of her foot and we couldnt ride her anymore, but she is going to be fine. Just made us down a horse.
Amy and her family got here today also! It was great to finally have the first group of people here so I get to show off my amazing life out there. I knew Amy would love that area, so we were super pumped to have her there!
Day 6: Snow. Of course, snow. We woke up to white out conditions with 50-70 MPH wind gusts. No riding today so we just hung out at Karen's house and at our house. Everyone else arrived today, which was great. My parents got there around 10am, my brother 2pm, Marissa same as my brother and Annmarie and Amanda a little later. Heather planned my bachelorette party for that night and I was very excited to have all my girl friends from MI able to attend. The party was great.....and I can really explain how it felt to have my closest friends all in the same room. I feel very lucky to be part of the "colony" of Arthur (Wade finally let me in...YEAH!!!!) and I knew my friends would fit right in. Annmarie and Amanda left early when my mom and Karen did, but they had a good drive back to Ogallala so I expected that. Marissa, Amy, my brothers girlfriend Kelly all stayed longer and we had a great time. The girls in NE LOVE Amy and really...whats not to love, lol. I knew she would fit in because she reminds me so much of them, lol. I had to call Shawn to come and get me at 1030 thanks to Trisha's Sangria :-)
Day 7: We rode in the morning as the calves had gotten out, AGAIN. Amy and Carly went with Bud, Shawn and I. I had to ride Tig, which was fine but it isnt my favorite. Shawn rode Sryscha, which is a freakshow, but she did ok. She is very stubborn but so is he...they worked out well. He may not tell the same story but they did. Carly and Amy had a great time....it was a chance for them to do something they have dreamed of doing, but never really thought would get the chance. Rehersal was fine. Quick and easy. I was very tired and cranky because Shawn made me mad so I didnt stay long at dinner. I went home, cried all the way home because I was the emotional bride to be going home alone on the night before her wedding. I needed that alone time. I got the dog in bed with me and went to sleep. Felt better the next day. Shawn had his bachelor party that night and he came home at 1245am. That was good because he wasnt part of the shennanigans involving the 4 wheeler and the police.
Day 8: The wedding was PERFECT!!! It was cold but the sky was perfectly clear. Pictures went well. We only had to wait on the guys 2x, because once she took a few pix and moved on to the girls, the guys went back outside to listen to the Huskers game. Heather went outside to kick some ass the second time and funny, it didnt happen again.
Reception was everything we wanted it to be. All of our friends and family were there having a great time. I cant wait to get the pictures up because honestly, I dont think I can explain everything. The pictures will tell the story.
Day 9: Leaving on Sunday was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Leaving is always hard, but the day after the wedding, when Piper doesnt want to leave, Shawn is very upset.....not good. However there was an ice storm headed in so we packed up, cried our goodbyes and drove with Amy and Chris to Des Moines for the night. Once we got on the road, we were ok. We still miss it terribly, but we will be back as soon as possible. I called to make the lawyer appointment today so once we get that taken care of.....we can start the process to move back. Its home. It is a very special place for us and like Karen said, I needed my friends and family to see it. To experience Arthur and the people out there so that they know WHY it is so important to us. Yes, it is tiny and we have to drive forever to get anywhere, but that isnt necessairly a bad thing. There is a beauty in the simplicity of life out there. Its a place where hardwork and dedication and family and friends MEANS something. You dont know if until you experience it. I hope for everyone, that each of you gets to experience what we feel everytime we go back to the sandhills.